28 July 2017

Fahrelnissa Zeid's first major retrospective exhibition is currently under the wayat the Tate Modern, until Sunday 8th October 2017.

Fahrelnissa Zeid was an international artist, having originally trained in Paris and Istanbul. She was a key figure in the Turkish avant-garde d Group in the early 1940s and The Ecole de Paris (School of Paris) in the 1950s.

The 1950swas an
important period as it defined Zeid as a painter and cementedher reputation as an international artist. She is know for her vibrant kaleidoscopic paintings, which mix Islamic, Byzantine, Arab and Persian influences with European approaches to abstraction, enticing the viewer in.

After you have visited this exhibition, and feel
inspired to explore these styles further, then join us at Grays where we have a variety of beautiful pieces redolent of Fahrelnissa Zeid.

19 July 2017

Since Old as Time Antiques moved to stand A18 in The Mews at Grays, they have focused on establishing their stock of bracket, mantle and small clocks and timepieces, along with the repair, servicing and valuation services they offer.

Recently they have introduced wall mounted regulators, clock/barometer combinations, “Art Deco” clocks and the sale of a private collection of first quarter 19th century silver pair cased verge gents pocket watches and silver cased hunter gents pocket watches, all in perfect working condition.

Below are some images of the pieces mentioned above. A full description can be viewed on the Grays website.

13 July 2017

Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone with a unique place in
the History of Art…

Detail of 'Madonna and Child' Giovanni Bellini, Venice, c.1475-76. Ultramarine pigment created from ground Lapis Lazuli is used for the Virgin's Robe.

This
vivid and intense blue rock, mottled with white calcite, has been mined in
remote mountainous regions since antiquity; principally the Badakhshan
mountains of modern day Afghanistan.

Before
the discovery of smaller mines across the globe, these remote
mountains were the only source of the rock known to Europeans. Travelling via
the expanded east to west trade routes of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, lapis was ground into the pigment known as ‘Ultramarine'.

Declared
by Italian painter Cennino Cennini as ‘the most perfect colour’ (The Book of Arts, 1400), the brilliance
and rarity of the pigment usually reserved it for the adornment of angels
and royalty, in particular the Virgin Mary.

Through
the influence of master painters Giotto, Masaccio and Bellini, the distinctive
hue is now forever associated in visual culture with the robes of the Holy
Mother.

Despite
increased availability, the status of genuine lapis lazuli has endured and is
used for fine jewellery, exquisite ornaments and striking decorative objects
around the world.

If you
would like to pick up your own piece of the world’s most perfect colour, we
have curated a selection of objects available at Grays...

6 July 2017

London’s largest outdoor exhibition, the Regent’s Park Frieze Sculpture 2017, kicked off yesterday and will run throughout the summer months, ending 8 October 2017. The exhibition brings together 23 new and significant works by 20th-century masters and leading contemporary artists from around the world.